BBC Learning English
Words in the News
Autism
30th January 2012
Words in the News
© British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
Doctors say they may soon be able to diagnose autism at a much earlier age. A study on
104 children, published in the journal Current Biology, has identified differences in the
brainwaves of babies that are as young as six months. However, the test is not yet
accurate enough to be used routinely. The BBC's James Gallagher reports:
It is thought that one in every hundred children is born with autism. The first signs are
behavioural problems between the first and second birthdays, but scientists think they
may be able to spot the disorder even sooner.
Older children with autism can show a lack of eye contact. So researchers showed six-
to-ten month-old babies images of faces looking either towards or away from the baby
while brain activity was being recorded.
In those that did not go on to develop autism there was a large difference in the
brainwaves when looking at each image. However, infants who did develop autism
showed little difference in brain activity.
Doctors say they hope that if they can diagnose the condition earlier, they'll be able to
begin specialist education and training programmes sooner and alleviate some of the
symptoms.
